The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-04
POPULAR SCIENCE.

Though much less than in the ocean,
the tides in the Mediterranean are quite
noticeable. Along the coast near the
Maritime Alps they range from four to
ten inches. At Gibraltar, however, and
in the Gulf of Gabes, they rise to from
sixty to eighty inches; at Trieste, to
nearly thirty inches; and at Venice, to
about twenty inches.
Mr.. ]. W. Walker has discovered on
the south side of Pine Mountain, Georgia,
nearly 200 feet above the famous corun-
dunn mine, site where the ancient in
habitants of that region manufactured
their tale vessels for cooking. Evidences
of the use of stone implements in the
work are indubitable. The vessels were
blocked out and followed before being
broken from the ledge.
The curious "canals" on the surface OF
Mars are like nothing else known, and still
remain unexplained. They are seen as
nearly straight lines, and appear like
cuttings, with parallel sides, extending
from sea to sea across the planets con-
tinents. They arc about fifteen miles
wide. They were discovered few years
ago by Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer,
and their existence has since been con-
frmed by several other observers.
The diameter of locomotives has been
greatly increased to produce augmented
speed. The largest yet noted are for a
mammoth engine on one of the French
roads. This locomotive has six coupled
wheels IA feet in diameter, and the
tender and cars arc to have wheels of the
same dimensions, the calculation being
that with such train speed of about
seventy-eight miles an hour can be OBJ
tanned. The cars will be swung inside,
and between several pairs of wheels.
A correspondent of an exchange says:
eff small room has large window fac
ing the west or southwest, it is found that
the afternoon sun puts out the fire, cspe-
cially in spring, when the sky is clear and
the sun is low. The reason is, that at this
time of the day the fire is often allowed
to get dull, and the suns rays warm and
rarely the air in the room rs much as
the fire warns the air passing over it up
the chimney. Hence the draught ceases,
and the fire goes out. To remedy the in
convenience, open the door or the win
dow, to let warm air out, and cold in.
Of $4,000 carbons burned daily in the
electric lights used in the United States,
100, 900 are manufactured in Cleveland,
O. Six years ago all the carbons burned
in this country were made in a single
room in Boston. Now there are twenty
carbon furnaces in Cleveland alone. The
carbons are made chiefly of the residium
of oil after it has been refined, but the
deposit about natural gas wells is coming
into use. The material is ground to a
powder, little pitch is added, and the
substance is then placed in nmolds. These
are packed in boxes and the latter placed
in furnace, where they are subjected to
the most intense heat. The capacity of
an ordinary furnace is As, 900 carbons.
Natural gas is by no means recent dis
covery, as its utilization for the purposes
of the mechanic arts has long since been
successfully attempted in China, where.
by pipes of bamboo, it has been conveyed
from natural wells to suitable furnaces,
and consumed by terra Gotta burners,
and in Persia, France and our own
Western States burning springs have long
been known. The gas arises from the
decomposition of forms of animal or
vegetable life embedded in the rocks in
suitable situations. The gas is not be-
lievcd to be generated continuously, but
merely to be stored in porous or cavern
Gus rocks overlaid by impervious strata.
When these are tapped the gas is set free,
but new supply is not being formed to
take its place. A well-known geologist
states, however, that the sources of sup
ply will certainly last several years. In
general terms, the gas can be described
as a mixture of hydrogen, nitrogen and
marsh gas, with OCCASIONALLY higher car
bon compounds. 1t burns with nearly
colorless fame; and gives off no odor or
deletcrious matter.